


Flower Boy

by ErenLeger270



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Stripper/Exotic Dancer, Broken Engagement, College Student Eren Yeager, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, F/F, F/M, Family Fluff, Foster Care, Friends to Lovers, He teaches art, Implied/Referenced Cheating, Implied/Referenced Homophobia, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, M/M, Sexual Content, Slow Burn, Some characters are kids, Teacher Levi (Shingeki no Kyojin), but not eren noooooo not levi either wow, kind of, not really but kind of yes
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-10
Updated: 2019-04-02
Packaged: 2019-06-08 05:16:10
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 10,037
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15236145
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ErenLeger270/pseuds/ErenLeger270
Summary: There's a fine line between clinging onto a relationship for dear life and holding onto it because it feels right.When claws are dug so deep into it that it's drawing blood and it's drinking away the ability to feel... something is wrong.There was a car, and it almost hit Eren. He was lucky that an angel pulled him out of the way. In this story, Eren follows him somewhere dark and scary, his wings battered. Watches him slide down a tree, tired. And offers him a flower, a singular rose. He's hoping that the angel will take it someday, as a thanks, even if it means he'll fly away with it, and without him.Of course, this is all metaphorical. In a sense.





	1. Here's to being a kid

**Author's Note:**

> A remaster of an old Levi/Eren story I never finished. I read a part of it and I wanted to finish it so here goes nothing!

**Coconut Head:** My contact name isn’t He-Man Shouta anymore, right?

 

**Eren** : Oh please. That’s so two weeks ago.

 

**Coconut Head:** Blond Sidekick?

 

**Eren** : Three weeks ago.

 

**Coconut Head:** Eren seriously!

 

**Eren** : I promise it’s just under Armin ;)

 

**Coconut Head:** I don’t trust you OR that winky face…. -3-

 

In the cold air of a december morning and despite his super dry lips, Eren managed a smile from behind his scarf as he looked down at the phone in his hand. Nothing made his daily stroll to Shingashina University better than an Armin who actually managed to get his homework and studying done the night before so he wouldn’t have to be rushing in the morning to finish it before class; it meant the two could text. 

And nothing amused Eren more than his little blond, blue-eyed and round faced friend probing him on his new contact name; something that Eren started doing after being inspired by his idiot-friend, Jean’s, comment about Armin looking like that one kid from the show Ned’s Declassified.

However, Eren was fresh out of ideas this time around and resorted back to “Coconut Head”, not that he was that disappointed with it (he’ll admit that’s his favorite one). And he was happy to see that Armin had resumed to being his normal self; happy and not seemingly stressed from working too much. 

Juggling school and his recently newfound job at the same time not only sapped what little energy the guy had left, but it also pried him out of Eren’s life for a bit. The only time he’d see Armin would be at school, then he’d work afterwards and come back late to the apartment they shared, literally collapsing on his bed with a loud groan before passing right the fuck out. It amazed Eren that his job killed him that much; whatever it was he was doing must have been worse than speeding around to serve people and dealing with shit-mannered customers because even Eren didn’t pass out like that when he returned home. It made him wonder, but every time he tried to milk the information out of Armin; he’d always come up with some lame excuse with an, “I’ll tell you later,” added at the end which he never does.

Frankly, Eren was starting to think that maybe Armin was a prostitute and that his innocent-boy persona was nothing more than a fetish he practices. But no matter how many times he considered it, he couldn’t believe it because Armin was Armin and the kid was as intelligent as they come.

Maybe he just needed to let it go and let his friend do his thing. It helped pay for the groceries and rent so why not?

Eren let his scarf slip down and exhaled, slightly amused by his small puff of “dragon breath” as he and Connie called it. The two always thought the best part of cold temperatures was seeing their breath in the air; and being so close to turning 21, Eren couldn’t help but feel somewhat childish. But Connie was the definition of childish; Eren just liked going along with the guy sometimes.

Buttoning up his navy blue jacket to the top, the brown-haired male looked down at his phone once more as he started typing his reply to Armin with a cheeky grin plastered on his face. 

And he must have not heard the car coming because time seemed to slow down momentarily. One minute he was glancing down at the glowing screen of his cell, the next it wasn’t in his hand and there was a loud honk followed by multiple gasps, and someone had shouted, “Watch it!” 

And Eren lost control of his own body; and he felt himself get yanked back, felt himself slip on the icy ground beneath his shoes.

Well almost slip.

Someone had caught him and they had their arms wrapped around him. And then he forgot about everything around him, forgot about his phone, forgot about Armin’s secretive job, forgot about Armin in general. 

And all he could think of were the pools of steely dark, grey eyes under black fringe of an undercut hairstyle. And under them were dark shadows; an accessory that added age and made the owner look tired and practically fed up with people’s bullshit. Maybe he was fed up with Eren’s bullshit in particular; perhaps he was gripping the man’s shoulders a little too tightly and he was sure he didn’t appreciate the nails digging into his very nice black trench coat and probably into the smooth white skin underneath it either.

The younger male relaxed his grasp, green eyes wide from shock and mouth extremely dry. “I….uh” Eren tried to speak, tried to apologize for his iron grip, but he couldn’t and he didn’t know why. He tried to tell himself he was overwhelmed from nearly being roadkill and was majorly mind fucked (that’s what it had to be). This guy really had came out of fucking nowhere, like an angel hidden in the crowd and saved Eren from suffering a body cast...or worse. But what Eren tried not to admit was the odd attractiveness he was feeling; this man was a magnet and Eren felt himself being pulled in against his will. He didn’t know why. But he most definitely didn’t like it.

The man raised an eyebrow at the college student, stilling holding on to him much to his surprise. “Oi, kid. Are you going to stand up straight or do I need to drop your ass?”

Eren blinked, coming to a slow realization that this man was literally holding him up and that if he were to let go, he really would fall on his ass. He straightened himself up quickly and, for the first time, noticed the worry faces of the people who happened to be nearby when he almost got hit by…

When he almost got hit by a car.

Holy shit.

Eren’s face scrunched up. He didn’t look where he was going and he almost got hit by a car. His mother had always told him to look both ways before crossing the street...and...and he didn’t! He didn’t listen and she would be very disappointed in him. Heck, he was disappointed in himself. This was kid knowledge and he was already an adult! But worse, he could have died or gotten hurt or….someone else could have!

“Your expression looks like a mixture of anger, self-pity and constipation.”

There was a twitch in the corner of Eren’s lip at the comment; his silent scolding came to a sudden stop. His brow may have even furrowed a bit as he retorted, “...I almost got hit by a car and you say that to me?” 

The man’s expression didn’t change one bit; he just watched Eren without a word.

Then something was shoved into his chest and Eren glanced down to see his phone in the man’s hand, looking unharmed from its sudden fall. He stared at it quietly.

“You’re fine,” the man offered, and despite his monotonous voice giving off no emotion, Eren still felt some comfort in his words. “Take it. People are staring and if you just stand there it’s probably going to worry someone.” 

“Thank you…” Eren murmured, reaching out for his cell only to accidentally ghost his fingers against the stranger’s. His skin was surprisingly warm for the weather they were in and Eren could have sworn his dark eyes flickered towards him when they touched. But he pulled back his hand rather quickly. 

“Mm. Be careful, kid. Get off your phone every now and then, and look both ways before you cross the road,” his savior advised before brushing past the college student. And Eren turned and watched him walk off in silence.

And then he suddenly felt offended.

“I’m not a kid,” he muttered quietly.

At that, the man looked over his shoulder and there was a brief flicker of slyness in his eyes.

  
  


Eren stared at Mikasa’s dark, glazed over eyes; her head was propped up on her arm and she looked about ready to pass out. He found it droll and comical whenever she was tired because usually she was the average pretty, strong-willed girl you’d find as the female lead character of a manga or anime; specifically an action-based one that may or may not include death and blood (and naked people). She had long, black hair in the past, but it was now shoulder-length, her skin was beautifully snow-white and her lips were tight. And currently, she was about to cross the fine line between holding herself up and face-planting the table. 

And it was barely even half way through the day.

Eren peered over at Jean and Armin villainously; and while the blond gave him a disapproving look, Horseface seemed utterly confused. And that wasn’t surprising, Jean was stupid.

The browned hair male turned back to Mikasa, waiting for the perfect moment before using his pencil to shove his cup of applesauce right under her, and he would have gotten away with it too, if it wasn’t for a group of meddlesome kids.

His adopted sister sat up with a jolt when Reiner, Sasha, Connie, Ymir and Christa all bombarded the table with childish yells of quotes from a show that Eren didn’t recognize (and probably for the best). Besides Christa who was smiling and Ymir who appeared blatantly disappointed, it was only Sasha, Connie and Reiner who were getting off on their daily nerd out.

“You guys are fucking losers,” Ymir said, pinching the bridge of her nose as she leaned against the small female blonde next to her. “Reiner, dude. Make your minions stop.”

Connie snorted. “And with that, I banish Ymir to the shadow realm, and effectively end my turn,” he nudged Sasha, smiling triumphantly as she grabbed her face in fake shock. 

“Oh, great pharaoh Connie!” Sasha took a step back and cried out dramatically, shielding her eyes. “He’s too strong! Too powerful! What is there to do?”

Reiner rolled his eyes despite the smile on his face. “Okay. Quit it, you two. I don’t think Ymir can take much more of you both,” he said.

With a glance in his direction, Connie snapped his fingers and then wrapped himself around a giggling Sasha. “Foiled again. But I’ll get you next time, Reiner Braun. You and your stupid lesbian friend.”

“Watch yourself, last airbender,” Ymir cautioned. 

Mikasa was rubbing the sleep out of her eyes now as her, Eren, Armin and Jean migrated around to make room at their table, leaving three spots to be lonely and lacking a body.

“Where’s Annie, Bertholdt and Marco?” Armin inquired, regarding the empty seats.

“Annie overslept. She’ll be late…” Mikasa answered, yawning so hard that Eren couldn’t believe she could open her mouth that wide.

Ymir had locks of Christa’s hair in between her fingers. “Marco and Bert are in art. Same profesor I have and jesus,” she rolled her eyes. “Talk about clean up. The guy doesn’t let anyone leave until his room is spotless. And you know artists, they can be fucking messy.”

The horse faced sketcher, Jean, glared daggers at the tall female. “Pardon?”

“Y-Ymir!” Christa cried, giving her girlfriend a pleading look.

“I mean artistically unorganized. Calm yourself, War Horse.”

This elicited a laugh from the entire table (except the tired Mikasa who just looked lost) and being the closest to Jean, only Eren was the one to get punched in the shoulder much to his dismay. 

Honestly, it was great to be back. Shingashina University had closed down for a while due to the snow and while Eren was content with no school, he soon realized how much he missed his stupid friends and it wasn’t long until he (surprisingly) missed it. 

It wasn’t the same just seeing Armin all day and visiting his mother here and there; it lacked the comic-relief that was the stupidity of his friends. Something an adult very much needed. 

Or at least, that’s how he felt.

And as soon as the snow started to melt, being replaced by icy roads and sidewalks; the announcement of the resuming of classes actually made Eren jump for joy. No, really. He jumped for joy in his boxers when Armin shared the news with him. He was that happy to return to his routine. But then he made sure to threaten the blond about never telling anyone what he saw that day. 

By the time noon rolled around, their lunch break was over and they all went their separate ways; though Christa and Eren walked together because they were both headed to Music Theory II.

The girl held her books to her chest protectively and Eren was once again thinking about how short she was. She was really short yet she made him feel so tied up just by her presence when nobody else was with them. She was cute despite the fact that Eren didn’t roll that way and neither did she. And then, there was also the whole her-father-was-his-boss thing.

Eren happened to work at the restaurant run by her family and owned by her father. And simply because he had opened his big mouth one day, complaining about how it was so hard to find a decent place to work; she offered for Eren to work there. 

And because she had that can’t-say-no-to-me smile and pulled the whole “it’d be nice having another friend work there with me too” card, he just couldn’t refuse. So he became a waiter, and Christa and Ymir sure had fun teaching how to not trip, fall, or spill everything everywhere, how to force himself to be polite to assholes, and smile unnecessarily even if his day was shit and the like.

He had to admit those were some useful skills though.

“Ready for some music studying again?” Christa asked sweetly, peering up at Eren with her friendly blue eyes as they continued to walk.

“Yeah, I guess,” he responded with a shrug of his shoulders. “So far we’ve only been learning things I already know about music. It’s weird that Music Theory I gave me more knowledge compared to this year in its second class.”

Christa made a face. “Hopefully Profesor Ral is just saving the best part for last.”

“Maybe,” Eren murmured, stuffing his hands into his pockets.

The blond hummed quietly to herself for a little bit before nearly startling the male beside her when she cried out, “Oh yeah! I knew I was forgetting something important. Are you okay?”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“This morning,” she whispered softly. “You almost got hit by a car, right?”

As surprised as Eren was to hear that Christa knew about that, he tried his hardest to seem composed. He felt his ears turn red though. “Yeah...um.. Armin told you, huh?” It wasn’t really a question and he didn’t need her to answer it either because Armin was the only person he had told about the incident this morning.

And about that mysterious man too.

The girl nodded quickly, seemingly observing his face with her killer sea-blue pupils.

“Ah…” Eren cooed, looking ahead towards their destination. “Well no. I mean I’m perfectly fine. I  _ almost  _ got hit, but I didn’t so there’s no need to make a big deal out of it. That’s why I didn’t mention it to everyone.”

Christa nodded understandingly. “Yeah, but that person driving needed to watch where they were going too! The must have barely just missed you…”

“That’s true…” Eren mumbled under his breath, hoping that would be the end of it. 

He wanted to drop the subject. 

He hadn’t thought about it much at the time, having been distracted by that man who saved him from being roadkill, but it was a scarier than what it seemed. The older Eren got, the more he became aware about how fleeting life could be. He was lucky that man was there.

If only he could have gotten to thank him a little more properly.

But he was probably never going to see him again.

  
  
  
  


 

Eren suffered through Music Theory II and the rest of his classes; too impatient to even wait for Armin and walk home together. He decided to send him a text instead:

 

**Eren:** Going on ahead. I want to go to the music store before visiting mom again 

 

**Coconut Head:** Thanks for letting me know, but don’t think you’ve escaped telling me about that man from this morning. I want all the details about this hero who saved my boy

 

**Eren** : Yeah yeah yeah -3- (also if anything…. You’re my boy)

 

**Coconut Head:** Seriously be safe, okay? I’m not going to text you cause you apparently can’t walk and text outside. Don’t walk and text. Please babe. For your own good.

 

**Eren:** Eat my ass

 

**Coconut Head:** Bye, love. <3

 

Eren shook his head, unable to hide to grin on his face. This and many other reasons is why he considered Armin to be his best friend. Slipping his phone into his pocket, he continued walking down the now less icy sidewalks on his way to the music store. Despite the chilly coldness in the air; the sun was out and the day was looking much more beautiful than it had this morning. It almost made Eren wish he had brought his headphones along so he could listen to music as he strolled. But it was nice enough without music too.

Entering the little music shop on Trost street, Eren was greeted by the shopkeeper Hannes who waved him over as soon as his other foot crossed the threshold of the store. The college student walked over to the counter that he stood behind and smiled at the man.

“Hey, Hannes.”

“Hey, kiddo,” the older male responded. He pointed behind him to the door marked ‘ _ employees only’ _ and grinned. “Ed Sheeran came in. It’s in the back. That what you came for?”

Eren’s face lit up and he pretty much leaned over the counter in excitement. “Really? I didn’t expect it to come in so early and figured I would just look for something else for Hitch. But if it’s here, that’s great! I’ll take it,” he said, pulling out his wallet. “How much is it?”

Hannes shrugged his shoulders. “Mmmm, actually don’t worry about it. It’s on me.”

“No, I couldn’t-!”

“Eren,” the man said. “You know you’re my best customer and it’s really the least I can do. You’re a good kid and your mother does so much for those children. And it’s just a CD.” He winked before walking backwards to the employees only room. “It’s on me so shut your mouth.”

There was really no time to start another argument so Eren sighed heavily and waited as Hannes left him in the shop. He shoved his wallet back into his pocket and allowed the counter to support his weight.

Sure, Hannes did have a point, but he still wanted to pay himself especially since he went as far as ordering an Ed Sheeran CD because there was none in stock. His mother did do a lot, especially for those kids. 

Without the help of his shithead of a father, Carla was left to hold up the family bakery that honestly didn’t do much financially and despite this, she still followed her dream of managing a foster home for kids. She was struggling and even after Eren moved out, he still continued to help her in whatever way he could. But she still stressed herself out and it upset him a lot. He almost wished he had enough money to help things be a little easier for her.

Hannes snapped him out of his thought, poking him with the bagged CD. “You seem tired.”

“Oh, thank you…..and yeah, a little,” Eren murmured as he took the CD, rubbing the back of his neck with a nervous laugh. “A lot has happened today, I suppose.”

“Yeah? Want to talk about it?” Hannes offered, but as soon as the boy looked down at his watch, he added, “unless you want to wait until dinner? Carla asked me to come over tonight.”

As much as he didn’t want to speak of almost getting hit by a car and being saved by an older man who he found oddly attractive to anybody, especially his mother, he smirked at Hannes.

“I guess I’ll see you later then?”

“Yeah,” Hannes confirmed, shooting Eren a grin in return. “Later.”

He was turning to leave and was stopped at the door when the shopkeeper called out, “don’t forget to tell Hitch to enjoy her CD!”

Eren smiled at that and responded with, “you can tell her that later.”

  
  
  


 

Eren nearly dropped the guitar pick, tapping his foot to the beat, lost in the music and in the ten year-old Hitch’s beautiful voice as she sang. “So kiss me like you wanna be loved. You wanna be loved. You wanna be loved~”

Carla was clapping with a four year old Mina in her lap, who was smiling in awe at her singing friend. Isabel and Rico were swaying their hands in the air, both holding a flickering pair of light up sketchers. Hannah seemed on the verge of tears from her spot by Carla’s feet and the only boy, twelve year-old Marlo, sat away from the group against the wall, but it was easy to tell how much he adored Hitch’s singing with the way he watched in pure admiration.

“This feels like falling in love. Falling in love. Falling in love… We’re falling in love..”

After the fade, there was chorus of clapping and Hitch took a bow from her place next to Eren as he put down his guitar and joined in the applause. “Thank you, thank you! I’ll be here all week, everyone! But I don’t do free autographs,” She bowed again and her shaggy, chin-length brown hair seemed to bounce with her and her yellow sun dress.

Carla wrapped her arms around Mina only to lift the girl up and put her down on her feet.

“What?!” The eight year old girl exclaimed. “That’s not fair! I spent my dollar!”

“I don’t care,” the catty Hitch said, sticking out her tongue. “My talent shouldn’t be wasted!”

All the younger girls seemed to join in now, starting to argue over whether it was fair or not to for Hitch to charge them and as far as Eren listened, he found it hilarious that the nine year-old Rico thought they deserved a family discount at the very least. She was going places for sure in the future. Carla shared a glance with her son and it was obvious they were both enjoying the little dispute going on between the army of cuties.

“Marlo, why don’t you decide?” Eren chimed playfully, looking at the boy from across the room. “You’re the big boy of the family here.”

All the girls stopped and turned to Marlo, glaring red lasers of death that made the boy feel a bit uneasy. Eren hoped he didn’t go too far with that, but the boy wasn’t given much time to make a decision anyway.

“No, you’re the oldest, Eren!” Hitch shouted, making the college student wince. “You’re the biggest boy here and my future manager so you need to tell them they have to pay!”

Eren grinned and leaned forward silently, eliciting all of the girls to also lean in with curiosity. “Last person that I find in hide and go seek gets to decide. And GO!” At this, the girls screamed with smiles on their faces and basically stumbled over each other to get out of the living room and find a place to hide. It never ceased to amuse Eren how serious they were when playing hide and go seek.

Carla was laughing at their desperation to escape from the room and after they left, she looked at Marlo softly. “Make sure they don’t get into too much trouble or break anything, sweetheart? Preferably, Hitch and Rico.” Only a few seconds passed before the boy stood up and sluggishly walked out of the room, leaving Carla and Eren alone.

She turned to her son with a genuine smile on her face. “I keep forgetting how good you are with them whenever you’re gone too long,” she murmured. “I’m glad they like you so much…”

Eren shrugged. “Yeah...but Marlo…”

“He’s just being distant,” Carla said, walking over to her son to brush the brown fringe from his eyes. “The older they get, the more they start to think negatively because they’re a foster child. Their initial thought is that their parents didn’t like them or didn’t want them. And unfortunately, Marlo is going through that by himself because the other girls are too young to understand. And Hitch….”

Eren knitted his eyebrows together, suddenly concerned. “What about Hitch?”

Carla smiled, albeit sadly and sighed at the question. “She’s getting close to that age….” She murmured. “She’ll be eleven soon and it would be wrong of me to keep such a thing from her for too long. If I do, she might become distant as well.”

“Let me tell her.”

There was a pause; Carla simply looking at her son with guilt. “Eren…”

“You did it for Marlo. Let me for Hitch,” he said with his deep green eyes focused on her; the eyes that he got from her. Hitch liked him enough; in fact, it wouldn’t be too much of an overstatement to say that the girl loved Eren, he could tell she was absolutely infatuated with him and at least that might help ease the pain of the honest truth. But that wasn’t why he felt obligated to do this. He had other reasons; very clear, solid reasons. “Dad isn’t here for us…” Eren stopped for a moment, trying to keep himself composed. “...for you….so let me take his place and support you. Think of it as taking turns if you want. Just let me help.”

Carla’s breath caught in her throat and her bottom lip quivered as her eyes grew glossy. She ruffled her son’s hair and leaned down to kiss the top of his head. “I love you, Eren.”

Eren smiled, and he stood up just so that he could embrace the lovely woman who brought him into this world and cared for him for nearly twenty-one years.

The thought that something bad could have happened to him today… that he could have left his friends, these kids, and his mom, it all now horrified him even more than it ever had in that moment.

Thank god that man had been there to move him out of the way.


	2. A Second Chance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eren is given a second chance to thank the man who saved him. In the most...unexpected of circumstances.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! I know its been awhile since I've wrote anything here especially with this and many of my other discontinued stories. I've been focusing on school and writing my own books. But I'm hoping to stay here and continue to brush up on my writing whenever I can I may not be quick with updates but I'll definitely try my best! Please let me know what you think~

The first person that Eren found in hide and go seek was Mina; she ended up getting distracted by the fact that Carla was making cookies in the kitchen. It was meant to surprise them after their game, but since the little black-haired girl had came sprinting into the room at such a speed and out of the nowhere, the woman had no time to play it off. He had causally came strolling into the kitchen to find her sitting on the floor and watching the cookies bake in the oven in awe and as soon as she looked up at him, she exclaimed, “oh no! I forgot!”

“But I found you fair and square,” Eren said with a shrug and a smile. “You’re out, kiddo. The first loser of the game!”

Mina returned the smile and got up from the floor, probably to join the search now that she had been found. She playfully leaped towards Eren and clutched his hand. “But mama is making cookies for me, so who’s really the winner here?”

Point taken. “You got me there,” he replied.

Leaning against the island table nearby, Carla giggled. Hitch had still been trying to find a hiding place and Eren peered into the gaming room to see her scanning around as if debating her choices. And as soon as she saw him, she pointed her little finger at him and shouted, “that’s not fair, Eren! I didn’t even get to hide! Give me twelve seconds!” So with a small smirk, he raised his hands defensively and backed out of the room, telling her she better find a new room altogether if she planned on winning. 

“But you found her fair and square!” Mina whimpered as they stood outside the gaming room, eliciting Eren to put his finger to his lips to quiet her down since she was being a bit loud.

It was funny that Mina really thought he was giving Hitch a serious second chance. Eren Jaeger didn’t roll that way. “And I’ll find her again after I count to twelve,” he whispered to the little girl, forcing her to cover her giggle so Hitch wouldn’t hear.

The nearly inseparable Rico and Isabel were both sitting in the upstairs tub with the curtains closed; which they were highly upset because Marlo happened to be standing in the bathroom with them, telling them not to make a mess when Eren passed by. Isabel even kicked him in the shins and surprisingly, the usually mature twelve year old boy actually dropped his prideful ways so that he could angrily pursue the girl around the house in hopes of being able to give her a taste of her own medicine. 

And it was hilarious seeing his red face and her smiling one as they zoomed by the college student; the chase still in full progress with Isabel laughing wildly.

“Queen” Rico declared that Sir Eren, knight of the Kingdom of Rico-ville, carry her around in the act of what the peasants called a “piggyback ride” and he had to wait in the hallway as she retreated to her room to fetch her tiara, comically dropping her glasses in the process. As he stood there, he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket and start ringing, and he quickly pulled it out and answered it without so much as even looking at who it was.

“Yo.” It was definitely Reiner. “It’s ya boy. Big and buff.”

Eren grinned, having found that he never really thought about how much he truly appreciated Reiner’s unique greeting. “Hey, Reiner. What’s up? Need me to give you permission to do something?”

“Fuck you,” came to response and Eren couldn’t help but laugh. “Anyway, I called to ask you where you would want to go next weekend. Armin and I were talking earlier and we weren’t sure what you would want to do then. We even asked Mikasa and she was just as clueless so I just said fuck it, I’ll ask.” 

Eren raised an eyebrow at that, visibly confused as to what his friend was talking about; and it didn’t help that Rico had returned to his side. She pulled at his free arm with her tiara on her head, pouting impatiently, her head tilted up at him with attention wanting eyes. 

“...Nobody told me we were making plans this weekend...or that it was even my turn to choose,” he murmured, his eyebrows furrowing as he tried to dig into his own memories. “Actually, it wouldn’t be my turn to pick. I picked two weeks ago. Don’t you remember?”

There was a long pause on the other end and Eren took this as he chance to get low for Rico so she could climb onto his back. He used his free hand to hold one of her legs and she clung to him rather tightly, not used to him lacking the second hand.

“We’re letting you pick, Eren.” Reiner said. “Just like the way we do for everyone else’s birthday. Just because we all hate your guts, it doesn’t mean we won’t let you decide.”

Rico yelped as he nearly dropped her from the sudden realization. She might have said something to Eren, but he was too busy being in shock (for the second time this day, he supposed). Sure, the excitement of his birthday started to die down with age and once his mother started taking on all these kids, but he never thought he would become that indifferent to it. He really forgot that his own birthday was coming up. 

Maybe he was more stressed out than he thought.

“I must be out of my mind, Reiner,” Eren murmured.

“You are,” the blonde added quickly.

Rico was leaning her head on Eren’s shoulder now, swinging her feet. “I can’t believe I forgot!”

“You forgot your own birthday?” Reiner inquired, adding an ashamed click of his tongue. “Seriously? The big two-one and you forget? Come on, that’s the drinking age! It’s blissful when you don’t need big black X’s on your fucking hands anymore.”

Rico gasped, eyes getting wide and Eren could hear his college mate whimper a small “am I on speaker?” on the other end. “I heard you, Reiner! You cursed and I’m telling mom on you! You’ll get a hand SMACK with her big spoon.”

“Not the big spoon!” Reiner counterfeited playfully, eliciting the small girl to giggle.

“Rico, please switch shoulders or I’m going to put you back down,” Eren reproached in a soft yet stern tone and the girl whined, but was nice enough to switch the shoulder that she rested her head on so that she wasn’t close to the phone. 

And then it hit him.

Reiner was right. 

Eren was turning twenty one. The dream age for any stressed out college student. They could go to a club and for once, he wouldn’t be marked as a minor. And he could drink and party until he puked. 

And he wouldn’t be seen as a kid anymore. He’d be seen as an adult.

A puking adult. 

The thought excited him to the core. Just maybe he would pick to go to a club or a bar. His mother definitely wouldn’t approve of the idea but nobody said she had to know. He didn’t like lying to her, but if he mentioned it then he’d probably get concerned phone calls every half hour or so.

It wasn’t like he was going alone though; he’d have Armin, Reiner, Mikasa and everyone else there with him (if they would go with him). The only ones who would still be tried as minors would be Christa, Ymir and Sasha. They didn’t seem like the drinking type anyway and Sasha would be happy as long as there’s food.

Eren squeezed the phone a little too much against his face. “Reiner, my son. I might have an idea of where I’d want to go,” he whispered in an exhilarated undertone.

There was a short pause on Reiner’s end, and then a sigh. “You talk to Armin too much.”

“I live with Armin, Reiner.”

  
  
  


Hannah was the last to be found in hide and seek. 

After the game, they all ended up sitting in the kitchen, awaiting on cookies as they played in intense game of Scene It. Eren stayed on the phone with Reiner for a little bit longer, helping him with his homework because he understood nothing from Music Theory I and Bertholdt was incapable of being of any use as he wasn’t even taking that course.

“Pitch, form and….” Reiner trailed off quietly, obviously unsure of his answer and just as Eren was about to open his mouth, the blonde was once again noisy and obnoxious, “Bert, back up! You’re basically breathing down my neck! Not that I don’t like that…but not while I’m trying to study.”

“Sorry. I’m curious about Music Theory,” came the sound of Bertholdt’s tiny voice. 

“Eren.”

The green eyed student snapped to attention when he heard Reiner say his name. “Yeah?”

“Pitch, form and….” he started. “Throw me a boner here.”

Ignoring Hitch as she climbed into his lap and wrapped his free arm around herself, Eren scrunched up his face and forced himself to ignore Reiner’s disgusting humor. “Right…here, just remember this definition. Pitch, rhythm, harmony, and form, but also with descriptions, concepts, or beliefs. If you write it down repeatedly, and say it in your head a lot, you’ll remember it. Worked for me when I did.”

“Alright, well this isn’t due until next week,” Reiner sighed; the sound of papers ruffling and textbooks being slammed closed echoing with his voice. “You can help me another time.”

Eren snorted at that. “Giving up already, baby? I thought you were stronger than that.”

“I wouldn’t say I’m giving up,” Reiner responded. “More like I’m making room for an investment. See, I have this friend who’s at his mom’s right now and she lives fairly close to me, so I wouldn’t want to miss the opportunity to shove my foot up his ass.”

Eren’s lips tightened at the threatening remark. He sat there with a grin on his face and an arm wrapped around Hitch as he shook his head. Reiner was lucky that his mother wasn't in the kitchen with him or else all hell would have broke loose and gone rampant on the streets, starting with Eren, in particular. 

Later on, he watched as Isabel used his phone to contact Armin since Carla offered to have him join them for dinner. He knew the girl adored Armin and his intelligence so he asked her if she wanted to be the one to call him. The excited heading bobbing was expected. 

It made Eren smile, seeing her stare at him with eyes of admiration and awe as he read her books, watched shows with her, played with her; it seemed no matter what they did, he always had some interesting input on something and his humor wasn’t half bad either (though Eren felt he should take some credit for this because he used to be a boring stick in the mud when they were younger). Isabel had happily skipped back into the kitchen to announce the good news of Armin being able to come over.

Time passed by surprisingly fast; Eren was helping his mother cook and the kids cleaned around the house; they even cleaned their rooms because they got done too quickly and Carla wanted them to be kept busy and away from them. And Eren was pretty sure she was only doing that because she knew how easily distracted he got by them.

It wasn’t his fault he always wanted to keep them happy.

Armin arrived before Hannes did; he was still in the same clothing he went to school in today; a long-sleeve white button up that was noticeably ironed and well kept, blue jeans, and his favorite pair of blue converse that Eren had bought him for his birthday. He looked nice and, not to toot his own horn, but he couldn’t help but notice that Armin’s fashion had gotten better since he started letting Eren go shopping with him. 

He was like a cute blue-eyed, blonde version of himself and his attractiveness skyrocketed to the top of the chart whenever he wore clothes similar to Eren’s kind of style. But despite that, he would always be his nerdy friend even if one day he does wake up ten times sexier than Eren (which he could see happening, as much as he hated to admit it). 

Armin was charming in his own way.

When Eren opened the door and announced his arrival, Isabel nearly knocked him over when she greeted him with a sudden aggressive tackle. The cooking was still being finished, but Armin had no problem waiting in the living room with Isabel and the rest of the kids. Hitch had happily grabbed his arm and pulled him along, asking him to listen to her sing which resulted in a pouting Isabel who hurried after them. 

Eren noted Armin’s lack of clothing change silently. It was unlike his friend not to change into something nicer than what he was wearing at school when he came by Carla’s for dinner. He threw it to the wind though, figuring that Armin might have just been too tired to do it today.

Returning to the kitchen, Eren continued to help his mother finish preparing the food in a comfortable silence. Every now and then, Carla popped the occasional question about school, about his job at the restaurant Christa’s family owns, about his grades. The usual stuff a mother would ask her working, college student son. 

It was all fine and dandy at first. Until it became painful unbearable.

All of these questions Carla asked now, those wouldn’t be the things she would be asking if Eren had actually been hit by that car today. And the more he thought about that…the more guilty he became. And he started wishing he could will himself to just say it.

But they were about to have a nice dinner with Hannes, Armin and everyone. He didn’t want to ruin any happiness she was feeling.

Quietly, Eren finished setting up the table before retreating to the little island table in the middle of the kitchen and sitting down, intertwining his fingers as he leaned against the marble table.

“Mom, I need to tell you something,” he said quickly. And immediately cursed himself after because he had changed his mind already.

His mother smiled just a little bit as she glanced in his direction for a few seconds, studying him before turning her attention back to the food on the stove. “Your bottom lip is quivering.” Her son reached up to feel his lip only to confirm that it actually was. “So that means that you’re either thinking too hard about something upsetting or there’s something you want to tell me and it’s making you nervous because of how I may react.”

As casually as he could, Eren tried to back out. “Nevermind. I don’t know why I said that.”

His mother was turning down the stove now, and Eren knew that meant something serious. “Yes, you do. You’re just like me, Eren. Impulsive. You do have something to say and I want to hear it right now. We’re having guests over so I’ll have to be rational. Take advantage of it.”

She had a very good point, but it wasn’t enough to change his mind yet.

“...I want to tell you later, mom.”

Carla glared now and took a few steps until she was practically looming over her son. “I’m waiting,” she snapped, using that stern tone he knew as a child all too well.

That tone shook Eren to the core and he suddenly found himself talking when he hadn’t even thought about what he would say next. “Okay, well let’s say that...hypothetically, your son was walking and he was on his phone texting, not paying attention to his surroundings...” Eren forced a laugh for good measure, hoping that would help. “...and almost got hit by a car. On a scale of 0 to 100, how real would you get?” 

And Carla stared; and she stared; and her eyes were widening one second, but then the next they were narrowing and her eyebrows were scrunching up indignantly just like her face. And her lips tightened into a thin, upset frown. 

“Mom? Did you hear me?” Eren inquired sheepishly.

She slowly nodded her head as if confirming that she heard him, brushing her loose strands back behind her ear and spinning on her heel, jaw clenched. Her slippers skid, being dragged against the floor as she walked back to the stove and picked up the stirring utensil with a death grip, going back to cooking silently.

Eren watched her without saying a word, making a mental thankful prayer for Armin and Hannes.

  
  


Dinner went smoothly. Even though Eren knew he had royally pissed off his mother by telling her about the incident this morning; Hannes was more than enough to get that off of her mind. Her jaw had unclenched and she was actually smiling and laughing whenever the shopkeeper cracked a joke (correction: cracked a stupid joke). 

Armin was a big hit too. All the girls were interested to know about his majoring in astronomy and astrophysics, especially Isabel. He told them about what he was learning; like the evolution of the universe, the stars, the galaxies, and they were so intrigued that Eren worried about whether they would finish their food before it got cold. 

However, he noticed Marlo just sitting there and eating. It was as if he wasn’t even listening at all and he wished he could help the boy loosen up some more.

“Hey, Marlo,” Eren whispered to the black-haired kid sitting next to him.

He looked up from his nearly empty bowl quietly.

“Weren’t you interested in astronomy? You know, the stars and the galaxies and stuff?”

The younger male eyed Eren for a few seconds and when the college student gestured to Armin, he lifelessly stared at the blonde. It was as if he didn’t hear Armin who was still talking about the solar system and it’s stars; or maybe he was pretending like he didn’t care. Marlo stood up from his seat, grabbed his empty bowl and utensils, and started walking to the kitchen.

Carla noticed and turned to look at the boy. “Marlo? Do you want seconds?”

“No,” he said as he walked past Carla.

And when his mother glanced to her son; all he could do was shrug with a frown on his face. Hannes had nothing either. So the three, as much as they didn’t want to, ignored Marlo’s behavior and continued with their dinner. When it was all said and done, Hannes left right away since he promised the manager he would return and help him close the store up before going home. On the other hand, Armin stayed and Eren found himself washing the dishes in the kitchen with his blond friend as Carla tucked everyone in upstairs.

They cleaned up silently and the only thing that could be heard was the running water, the clanking of dishes, and the sound of Eren constantly yawning somewhere mixed in.

“Sounds like I’m driving tonight,” Armin hummed with a smile.

“I could drive,” Eren replied, drying a bowl with a green dish towel and yawning again; his mouth opening wider this time. “I’m not that tired.”

The blonde glanced at him sideways. “......I’ll drive. Better to be safe than sorry.”

“Are you saying I’m a bad driver?”

“I’m saying you’re tired.”

“I’m not tired,” the green-eyed boy murmured. “I’m Eren.” 

At this, his friend smiled slightly and shook his head, scrubbing hard at one of the dishes in his hand and letting it run under the water. “If you act weird like this when you’re tired, just imagine how you act when you’re drunk. I wonder if your attitude and smart comments double-”

Eren nearly dropped the little bowl he was drying and half-lunged at Armin, clamping a slightly wet hand over his mouth and raising his other to his lips in a gesture to be quiet. 

His petite friend stood there, eyes wide and frozen, having stopped scrubbing.

“Do you want my mom to hear you?!” Eren whispered quickly.

Armin shook his head silently.

Eren pulled his hand back, quietly hurrying over to see if his mom was coming downstairs before returning to his spot beside Armin. He dried the bowl he had, practically snatched the last one in his friend’s hand and turned off the water faucet, going back to his drying duty. And he waited for a couple of seconds. Then he leaned in close.

“Who told you?” He inquired suspiciously.

“Reiner.”

“What did he tell you?”.

“That you might consider going to a bar for your birthday,” Armin responded.

“Might,” Eren stressed. “I did almost die today. Maybe I should hold back on danger.”

The blonde shrugged, scrubbing away at the messes left in the sink before washing the sponge again and squeezing out the excess water. “I think you should.”

Eren cocked an eyebrow at this. “You do?” He asked in disbelief. Just a second ago, he was telling Eren that he wasn’t going to drive them back because he yawned a couple of times. 

Now he was advising him to go party on the weekend?

The only reply that came from Armin was a little charming smile and a bedazzled glint from those blue orbs as he retreated from the kitchen. “Tell your mother I said good night. I’m going to start the car to warm it up. If you think it’s cold in the morning; the evening is what kills you. Don’t take too long,” he called, heading for the door with Eren bounding after him.

“Oh yeah that reminds me. You wore the same clothes you had on this morning.”

“I did,” Armin confirmed, standing in the doorway as he glanced down at his own outfit. “I know I usually change, but I just didn’t get around to it because I got  home by the time Isabel called me.”

Eren stood there and watched his friend close the door behind him, completely dumbfounded. 

Normally he would go home and get in as much rest or studying as possible. Eren had been home for over an hour before the dinner; so what had Armin being kept busy for that long?

“Eren!”

The college student turned at the sound of his mother’s voice and saw her coming down the stairs quickly as if he would disappear if she didn’t move fast enough. She hurried over to him and took him into a tight embrace which he returned with a smile on his face.

“I’m glad you could come spend time with the kids and eat dinner with us today. Do it more often, alright? Possibly bring Mikasa and Annie? Or Reiner and Bertholdt? Hmm….or everyone,” Carla said, lovingly running a hand through her son’s hair. “Invite Armin too, cause it’s quite obvious how much everyone looks up his intelligence. And with that sparkle in Isabel’s eyes…I wouldn’t be surprised if she wants to marry him.”

Eren grinned. “No kidding. And alright, I’ll try.” They broke away from their hug and Carla watched as her little college student turned to leave. “Oh, and Eren!”

The male had his hand on the doorknob and stopped to look at her. “Yes, ma?”

“I’m sorry I got a little mad about what you told me” she said softly. “Sometimes even I look down at my phone when I shouldn’t be. We’re in a technology filled world after all. But just be careful, okay? I don’t want to lose you.”

He smiled and nodded, opening the door. “I will. Love you.”

“I love you, too,” Carla said, blowing her son a kiss. And with that, he crossed over the threshold of his old home and closed the door behind him, walking into the cool air and hurrying to join Armin waiting in the car.

 

The drive home was very quiet; Armin was focused on driving and Eren was completely worn out with his eyes half-open, leaning against the window in the passenger seat ready to pass out. His eyelids felt extremely heavy and he wanted nothing more than to just fall asleep, but then, in a couple of minutes, he’d have to wake up again. 

He hated that; he hated being in a car and knowing the ride was short whenever he was tired because that meant that in five minutes someone would be shaking his shoulder and telling him to get up. And he would have to get up. Then he’d sluggishly make his way upstairs and collapse right on his bed without even taking a shower or brushing his teeth.

He glanced down at his phone to check for any text messages every now and then, but in the end, he decided to stare out the window; nothing special was out there but it’d be more entertaining than observing Armin as he drove or looking down at his lap.

“Uh oh…”

Eren slowly turned to look at his friend. “What’s wrong?”

“We need to stop for gas.”

“Damn it….”

Armin kept his eyes on the road, refusing to even regard Eren. “It’ll be quick.”

As soon as they stopped at a gas station and parked by a gas machine, Armin turned off the ignition, pushed open the door and stepped out. Any fatigue in Eren’s system was blown out when cold air rushed into the car and jolted him out of his sleepy state, but the cold did nothing to change how weary his voice sounded.

He snapped his attention to his friend. “Do you need my wallet...?” Eren asked exhaustedly before the Armin could shut the door, taking off his seatbelt so that he could reach into his back pocket.

“No, I have mine,” he replied. “Don’t worry. It’s my turn to pay for gas.”

Eren watched him close the driver’s door and then nestled back into the seat, leaning his head against the window once again. They were parked at the last machine and facing the gas station store so he tilted his head down, annoyed by how bright the lights from the store were shining compared to the darkness outside.

He was going to close his eyes.

But not sleep.

Just rest….

And then, in the corner of his vision, Eren saw somebody stumble into the alleyway on the side of the building. Or at least...he could have sworn he did.

Sitting up straight, the college student stared for a minute longer before he pulled the car door handle and pushed it open, stepping outside. Armin must have not noticed Eren inching towards the direction he saw the person go because the car’s gas container was on the opposite side and he was too busy dealing with the complicated machine to even look up.

Eren knew he had to be careful in case he mistaken someone for somebody else. There was a possibility the person in this alleyway kidnapped young adults in their 20’s. There was a possibility that the person just stumbled into the alley to appear helpless, to pull some saint into a trap. Or maybe he was going to get jumped and robbed. Maybe even raped. As his head continued to form up crazy scenarios, he begin to feel the urge to turn around more and more.

But then he saw him.

Eren’s breath got caught in his throat.

Standing in the alleyway, leaned against a wall was the man who had rescued him from that car this morning, the one who had swooped in like an angel and pulled him out of the way. He had the same unique undercut hairstyle; and there was no jacket suit over his blue collared dress shirt and it wasn’t tucked into the black pants that matched his raven-colored hair. His clothes looked a little wrinkled, his sleeves were messily pulled back to reveal his forearms and his shirt was unbuttoned at the top.

Eren opened his mouth to call out to the man when he suddenly collapsed and fell to his knees, gagging and shaking violently. 

“Hey!” Eren rushed over to his side without a moment’s hesitation and dropped to the ground beside him, placing a hand on his shoulder blades and rubbing soothing circles into his back. “Talk to me! Are you okay? Can you respond to me?”

There was no answer to the question except more retching noises. He didn’t know what was happening to this man, but it didn’t seem like he would be able to support his own weight for long. His arms were trembling under him and Eren could feel how tense his back muscles were; he felt them contract under his fingers every time the man choked as if he had to vomit but refused to do so. 

Eren didn’t know what to do. 

If only he had kept his stupid phone inside of his pocket instead of leaving it in Armin’s car, then he wouldn’t have to worry about leaving the man alone. Cause he couldn’t do that; what if he choked or what if he disappeared before he got back? What would Eren do then and how could he handle that sort of guilt?

He was desperately patting the man’s back now who was still gagging. And he was licking his lips, preparing to yell out for Armin before he felt someone grip his arm. Hard.

Eren met the dark orbs of the man; he had stopped making those choking noises, but his eyes seemed off; as if he couldn’t quite see very well because his grey pools flickered and squinted; and refocused. And he was looking around as if he didn’t know his own surroundings. And then he was staring at Eren again, intensely, with those bloodshot eyes and he was breathing heavily, wearily as if it hurt every time he did. And that’s when the college student smelled it.

The pure stench of alcohol.

The man was drunk.

And here he was stumbling around, lost, with nobody watching over him.

Eren kept rubbing his back and leaned forward. “Um… What’s your name?”

The only kind of response the brunet got was a drunken groan and the giving of the man’s arms as he collapsed to the ground in a drunken pile.

Eren cursed, making an attempt to catch the man before he could hit the gravel. If he wasn’t unconscious, he was as close to it as a person could ever get; his eyes were closed and he was as limp as a rag doll when Eren made an attempt to use his body to support the man. He managed to throw one of his arms over his shoulder and could only raise him to a sitting position before he had to yell for Armin.

The blonde came running over faster than Eren has ever seen him run before and by the time he made it over, he was out of breath. “E-Eren! I was looking for you, are you crazy?! I didn’t want to cause a scene so I didn’t shout for you, but I was scared….!” He trailed off, eyes widening at the sight of his friend sitting on the ground, holding up a limp body of a man. “Eren, what are you…?!”

“He’s unconscious!” The green-eyed male loudly whispered after hushing his friend. “It’s him. The one who saved me. He's drunk and he's just out here alone!"

Armin caught on immediately, and waved off his friend's earlier comments. “Nevermind who he is, Eren. We need to call 911 or something.” He started off back towards the car. "I can grab my phone and we'll call for an ambulance-"

“No, Armin. He’s just drunk.”

The blonde groaned as if he couldn't believe the situation they were in right now.  “Then what do you want to do with a drunk man, Eren?”

As soon as Armin asked the question, Eren felt the man's head loll over against his shoulder limply. It was obvious he was going in and out of consciousness. He probably didn't understand anything that was going on. For some reason, Eren found himself holding onto his savior tighter. “This is not just any drunk man, Armin! This is the guy who saved me. Now I’m going to save him. We’ll just let him recover at our place until he’s better.”

Armin's eyebrows furrowed in absolute disbelief. If he had been the type, he would have rolled his eyes. “Eren, I don’t think this is a good idea.”

“Wouldn’t you want someone to help you if you were drunk and lost on the streets, puking your guts out?” Eren inquired firmly. "I know I would."

“Yes, but by two young college students who probably don’t know what they’re doing?" The blue eyed male retorted just as strongly. "The ambulance are trained staff."

Eren was the one who actually rolled his eyes, and he shook his head desperately. “Armin! Just help me!” 

“Okay!” The male whimpered, hurrying over to the other side of this strange man that Eren claimed had saved him just several hours before.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> Comments would be appreciated! :D


End file.
